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Sitting around a table at the SAIL Center, a small group of men and women paid attention to what Coordinator Charlotte Purvis was telling them.

Purvis was updating participants Monday on the latest about COVID-19. Coronavirus disease is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that cause COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s website.

SAIL Center Participant Geneva Wearren, who visited the center for lunch after going grocery shopping, said everybody should be taking it seriously.

“We’ve got to keep up with what’s going on,” Joyce Fore, who was also sitting at the table, said. “It’s something to be thinking about. We’ve got to take care of ourselves.”

Wearrnen said that Atmore is fortunate that it hasn’t gotten any confirmed cases as of yet.

“I’m praying hard that we all stay safe,” she said. “So far, Atmore has been real blessed to not have any. Especially with that casino up there (closing until March 30).”

Wearren and Fore were eating lunch with Willy Wearren, Rudolph Wearren and Joyce Wearren.

All agreed that everybody must wash their hands to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Keep your hands washed, and try to stay out of big crowds,” Geneva Wearren said. “That’s the main thing. You don’t really know who you’re around.”